KEXP Reviews

While this Toronto band emerged from the hardcore punk scene, their musical ambitions are much broader. Their latest album is a 78-minute, 18-song rock opera about two star-crossed lovers living in a bleak 1970s-era British industrial town, and while that might sound like a daunting listen, the music is epic punk-rock at its finest. The band has never sounded more melodic and inviting, spiking their anthemic songs with big fist-pumping hooks, occasional sweet female vocals and walls of classic-sounding guitar riffs conjuring greats ranging from The Who to Husker Du, though Damian Abraham's gruff bark and the band's relentless energy keep them rooted in punk. Not only is David Comes To Life one of the year's more ambitious albums, it's also one of the best. 6/2/2011
- Don Yates